Rover Vehicle Positioning Using Parked Fleet Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle positioning systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles face challenges in accurately determining a vehicle's position, especially when resources used for position information are not available, such as when the vehicle is parked and GPS data is unreliable.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize vehicle position data from parked vehicles, combined with GPS data from a rover vehicle's receiver, to determine the rover vehicle's position by processing data from both sources, including precise point positioning methods and data compression for efficient communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional GPS data is used for vehicle positioning, then the positioning system is simple to operate, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates when GPS data is limited or unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines GPS data from multiple vehicles (including parked vehicles acting as base stations) with data from local sensors (lidar, radar, cameras) to create a hybrid positioning system. This merging of multiple data sources improves positioning accuracy while distributing the computational complexity across the fleet rather than concentrating it in a single vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
Parked vehicles serve multiple functions: they act as stationary base stations for providing positioning data to moving vehicles, while also potentially serving as future rover vehicles. This multi-functionality improves overall fleet positioning capability without requiring dedicated infrastructure, effectively resolving the contradiction between accuracy and system complexity.
2Reliability
If parked vehicles are used as base stations for positioning data, then positioning reliability improves in areas with limited GPS coverage, but the quantity of data to be processed increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential positioning data (position coordinates, timing information, and environmental reference data) from parked vehicles, rather than transmitting all sensor data. This extraction of critical information maintains positioning reliability while significantly reducing the data volume that needs to be processed and transmitted across the network.
Solution Approach 2:
Parked vehicles pre-process their sensor data and GPS information while stationary, creating reference maps and positioning benchmarks before moving vehicles need them. This preliminary action reduces the real-time data processing burden on moving vehicles, maintaining reliability while managing data volume efficiently.
3Measurement precision
If multiple vehicles contribute positioning data, then measurement precision improves, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring accurate position increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized server or cloud platform as an intermediary that receives, validates, and processes positioning data from multiple vehicles. This intermediary manages the complexity of integrating data from multiple sources, handling coordinate transformations, data fusion, and quality assurance, thereby enabling high measurement precision without overwhelming individual vehicles with integration complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning system is segmented into independent modules: data collection from individual vehicles, centralized data processing and fusion, and result distribution. This segmentation allows each component to focus on specific tasks, improving measurement precision through specialized processing while reducing the overall difficulty of measuring and integrating data from multiple sources.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for determining a vehicle position. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor of a rover vehicle, vehicle position data from one or more parked vehicles; receiving, by the processor of the rover vehicle, global positioning system data from a GPS receiver of the rover vehicle; and processing, by the processor of the rover vehicle, the vehicle position data and the global position system data to determine a position of the rover vehicle.